Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports is by James Patterson. The third book in the Maximum Ride series. Max and her split flock must save half the world's population from annihilation by the evil "white coats". But when she and her half the flock are captured she learns a terrible secret that shakes everything she believes to be true. Another fun installment in this series.

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10 - MP (mild profanity).

Reliquary

Reliquary is by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. The second book in the Pendergast series. Deformed skeletons and headless corpses are being found underneath Manhattan in the warren of tunnels, sewers, and forgotten chamber inhabited by the "mole people". Margo Green is called in to help with the investigation and once again finds herself working with D'Agosta and Pendergast. Have the Mbwun really returned to underground Manhattan? Every bit as exciting and terrifying as the first book.

Ratings: Adult - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content).  

Attachments

Attachments is by Rainbow Rowell. Lincoln has a new job in IT Security at a local newspaper. His job is to sit around all night and read the emails sent by other employees and send them warnings when they violate company email policy. Beth and Jennifer are best friends; they know their email is monitored but that doesn't stop them from emailing each other daily. As Lincoln reads their emails he becomes more and more enchanted by their friendship and by Beth in particular. But how do you ask a woman you've never seen on a date and then tell her you've been reading her personal email? A charming romance, poignant and humorous. Makes you wonder whose reading your email at work!

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).

The Greyfriar

The Greyfriar is by Clay & Susan Griffith. The first book in a new steampunk trilogy called Vampire Empire. In 1879, a plague of vampires nearly wiped out the human race. The remaining humans moved to the equatorial regions where the vampires could not tolerate the heat. It is now 2020 and mankind is ready to fight back. When Princess Adele, the heir to the Equatorian throne, becomes the target of the vampire clans, she is saved by the mysterious vampire killer known as The Greyfriar. Adele is fascinated by this stranger who kills vampires as no one she has ever seen. Who is he? Will his secret destroy them both? A great new vampire trilogy for both boys and girls.

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10.

The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is by Sherman Alexie. A moving collection of short stories about life on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The selections weave memory, fantasy, and reality into a stunning portrait of the modern Native American experience. These stories are moving, painful, and humorous; filled with passion, myth, and charm. Another must read from this amazing author.

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).

Rebecca

Rebecca is by Daphne du Maurier. A classic tale of Gothic suspense. When a young bride comes to her husband's family home on the windswept Cornish coast, she finds life with her older husband is not what she anticipated. The second Mrs. De Winter comes to Manderley and finds she is haunted by the ghost of her predecessor, the first Mrs. De Winter, the beautiful and mysterious Rebecca. A web of deceit and murder begins to unravel around her and her new life with the secretive and silent Maxim De Winter is threatened. A must read thriller!

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).

Fool: A Novel

Fool: A Novel is by Christopher Moore. Pocket is a jester, a fool. He has been the fool of King Lear for many years. He has had to deal with Lear's daughters Goneril, Regan, and the lovely Cordelia. When Lear decides to ask his daughters which one loves him most he begins a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions - literally. This novel re-telling of the Bard's famous play is a delight for those who love Shakespeare and those who don't. The humor is irreverent and bawdy, but laugh out loud funny. Be careful about reading this book in public lest your laughter attract attention. A smorgasbord of comedy, tragedy, plotting, adventure, and medieval porn.

Ratings: Adult - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - S (non-graphic sexual references).

Heart of the Wolf

Heart of the Wolf is by Terry Spear. The first book in an amazing new adult paranormal romance series revolving around werewolves. This first story involves a runaway female wolf and the males from her pack who are hunting her down. If you enjoy werewolves you will love this series. The writing is lively and humorous. You will want to find a pack of your own right away.

Ratings: Adult - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - S (graphic sexual references).

Island Beneath the Sea

Island Beneath the Sea is by Isabel Allende. Zarite is sold as a slave on the island of Saint Domingue to plantation owner Toulouse Valmorain as a maid to his ill wife. This story looks at their stormy relationship that covers four decades. From the early days at the plantation, through the slave revolts, to their life as refugees in New Orleans. This is a magnificent story of life as a plantation owner and slave in the late 1700 to early 1800s. You get to see the thinking of the times from all viewpoints. It is poignant and at times painful to read, but worth the effort.

Ratings: Adult - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).

Flowers for Algernon

Flowers for Algernon is by Daniel Keyes. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read. This is a timeless classic that is heartbreaking, inspiring, and thought provoking. Charlie Gordon is mentally handicapped. He agrees to become part of a surgical experiment designed to boost his intelligence. After all, it's worked on Algernon the white mouse. Once Charlie undergoes the surgery, which is successful beyond anyone's dreams, his life begins to change. Will the surgery last? Will he be able to maintain his newly found intelligence? What happens if he regresses? A must read classic!

Ratings: 10th grade - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).

A Conspiracy of Kings

A Conspiracy of Kings is by Megan Whalen Turner. The fourth book in the Queen's Thief series. Sophos, heir to the throne of Sounis, has vanished. Eugenides, the King of Attolia, has tried to find his friend; as has the Queen of Eddis - albeit for a different reason. Sophos has been kidnapped and sold as a slave and as he bides his time he treasures the memories of his former friends. Then he discovers his father is in danger and only he can save him, but to do so he must become King and begin an adventure that will change his life forever. A fantastic series boys will especially enjoy.

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10.

Crescendo

Crescendo is by Becca Fitzpatrick. The second book in the Hush, Hush series. Nora's love life isn't going so well. Patch seems to be spending a lot of time with her arch enemy Marcie and her mother is trying to fix her up with a childhood friend who's just moved back into town. She's also seen her father several times lately, and since he's dead that's not a good thing. She has to know what's really going on, but will she survive her hunt for the truth?

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10 - MP (mild profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).

The Islands of the Blessed

The Islands of the Blessed is by Nancy Farmer. The final book in the Sea of Trolls trilogy. Jack, Thorgil, and the Bard must travel to Notland to strike a deal with the Fin Folk to right a wrongful death of one of their kind by Father Severus. If they fail not only their lives, but the lives of everyone in their village will be at stake. A wonderful finale to a fantastic series. Boys and girls will love this series.

Ratings: 7th grade - 9 out of 10.